Sunday, August 14, 2011

June 21, 2011 - First attempt at a Ham and Cheese souffle. Used Hubert Keller's recipe (below), and watch his show before hand to make sure we had all the steps just right. It turned out perfectly! Well, next time I won't fill up the souffle dish quite as much.

Directions:
1. Generously butter and flour a 2‐quart soufflé dish. Remove any excess flour.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour
and stir for approximately five minutes to make a roux. Add the milk slowly
and whisk until the mixture is very smooth. Continue whisking over
medium‐high heat and cook until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue
cooking for 4‐5 minutes until the mixture gets very thick.
4. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks one at a time until fully
incorporated.
5. Using a wooden spoon, mix in cheese until melted. Add chopped ham, and
season with salt and pepper.
6. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl.
7. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer on mediumhigh
speed to soft peaks.
8. Using a rubber spatula, transfer ¼ of the egg whites into the soufflé mixture
and stir until fully combined.
9. Add half of the remaining egg whites and fold gently together until mixture is
smooth. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in gently, being careful to
keep the airiness and lightness of the mixture.
10. Spoon the mixture into prepared soufflé dish, and bake 40 minutes or until
soufflé raises and is golden brown. Serve immediately.

Earthfare in Montgomery opened recently, and gave out a "free meal" coupon that included a whole raw chicken, organic carrots, and pre-made mashed potatoes. We made Alton Brown's 40 Cloves and a Chicken with our free chicken. It was delicious! Super simple, will definitely make again. Recipe below.

Recipe:

Ingredients

4 lbs whole chickens, cut into 8 pieces

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons olive oil

10 sprigs fresh thyme

40 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and brown on both sides in a wide fry pan or skillet over high heat.